1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an exhaust system support structure that supports an exhaust system, (e.g., a muffler or silencer, an exhaust pipe, etc.) to a vehicle body member. More specifically, the present invention relates to an exhaust system support structure having an vehicle body bracket and a vibration insulating member that are arranged to support the exhaust system to the vehicle body and isolate vibrations from exhaust system to the vehicle body.
2. Background Information
An example of an exhaust system support structure is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 4-308314. In this exhaust system support structure, a vehicle body bracket has a connecting part mounted to a vehicle body member and an arm part extending downwardly from the connecting part for fastening to an exhaust bracket thereto by a rubber insulator. The rubber insulator is attached to the lower free end of the arm part and an upper free end of the exhaust bracket. The lower free end of the arm part has a round-rod shaped engaging part that extends in a sideways manner. The exhaust bracket, which is fixed to the exhaust system, extends upwardly from the exhaust system. The upper free end of the exhaust bracket has a round-rod shaped engaging part that extends in a sideways manner. These engaging parts are inserted into round holes of the rubber insulator. Thus, the exhaust system is suspended from the vehicle body bracket by the insulator. This exhaust system support structure has a special property in that vibrations occurring in the exhaust system are absorbed by the insulator and are not readily transmitted to the vehicle body member.
While the above exhaust system support structure works well, there still exists a need for an improved an exhaust system support structure. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.
It has been discovered that the aforementioned exhaust system support structure has a long vertical dimension. Specifically, the exhaust system support structure has a long vertical dimension because the arm part of the vehicle body bracket is formed below the connecting part of the vehicle body bracket, and the insulator is mounted vertically between the arm part of the vehicle body bracket and the engaging part of the exhaust bracket. As a result, the layout of the exhaust system support structure is restricted. Furthermore, vibrations from the exhaust system would be better absorbed and prevented from reaching the vehicle body member if the rigidity of the insulator were smaller. However, in the aforementioned exhaust system support structure, the exhaust system is suspended from the vehicle body bracket by way of the insulator. Consequently, the insulator must have the strength to support the weight of the exhaust system. Thus, a limit is imposed on how small the rigidity can be for the insulator. In particular, in the aforementioned exhaust system support structure, the insulator is under tension in the vertical direction, and thus, the insulator needs to have a high tensile strength, which limits the reduction of the rigidity.
The present invention was developed in order to resolve these various problems. One object of the present invention is to provide an exhaust system support structure that has a short dimension in the vertical direction, and that can absorb vibrations from the exhaust system and efficiently prevent the vibrations from reaching the vehicle body member by having an insulator with a small rigidity.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, an exhaust system support structure is provided with a vehicle body bracket, a vibration insulating member and an exhaust bracket. The vehicle body bracket includes a base part that is configured to be coupled to a vehicle body member, and a pair of support parts extending from the base part. The vibration insulating member is coupled between the support parts of the vehicle body bracket. The exhaust bracket includes a first end coupled to the vibration insulating member and a second end configured to be coupled to an exhaust system member. The vibration insulating member includes a housing part that houses the first end of the exhaust bracket.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the present invention.